John b



(No Model.)

a J. B. ROOT. MACHINE FOR MAKING SPIRALLY JOINTED METAL PIPE.

Int 1912i or July 3, 1883.-

P ten WE'lhesses':

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JoHN-B. noo'r, or roar CHESTER, NEW YORK.

MACHINE .FOR MAKING YSPIRALLY-MO'INTE'D ME L Pl PE..-

SPECIFIGATION formingof Letters Patent No, 280,403, dated July 3, 1883. Application filed September in, lest. me man.)

To all whom it may concerm Be it known that I, JOHN B. Roo'r, of For Chester, in the county. of VVestchester and .State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Machines for Making Spirally-Jointed Metal Pipe, of which the folwhen the seam is formedby welding or soldering, although the rolls, hereinafter described, for the purposeof-forcing the edges'o'f-the 3 inet'alstrip together would be serviceable for setting down a-spiral seam when. the edges of the strip are formed to interloek without welding as well as when they simply overlap and are united by the welding process; and it concompanying drawings, in which Figure lis a sists of devices to be hereinafter explained.

The invention is fully illustrated inthe' ac-' perspective VIFW of a furnace and scanning rolls adapted or carrying out the invention, Fig. 2 being a plan, and Fig. 3 being an endelevation, of the same; Fig. 4 is an end 1 elevation of the seaming-rolls, the mandrel or former-block being shown in perspective, Fig. 5 being a similar view of the mandrel and in ner roll detached, and Fig. 6 being" a plan of such inner roll and former-block. Fig. 7 shows in. section the preferred mode of mounting the inner seaming-roll, Fig. 8 "being an end view of such roll with the cap removed, and

. showing alsostheiendof the pin uponwhich the roll turns. Fig. 9' shows av shell or flask,

as hereinafter explained, Fig. 10 being a View of the same in section, and showing also the mandreland seaming-rolls, and Fig. 11 being a view of seaming-rolls,' as"seen in elevation, showing the groove and ridge. p

Referring to the drawings morein detail, A

, is the furnace; B,- the bed-plate of the machine, placed in immediate proximity to the side of the furnace from which the blank strip 0 emerges after being heated; D,'theupper or. outer seaming-roll, mounted upon the shaft E,

which in turn is driven by the'pulley F; G, the lower or inner seaming-roll, mounted loosely upon the stud of pin H, inserted in the face of the mandrel I. The roll G, instead of being l'oose upon a pin, may be madegfast to a shaft which has its bearing in the mandrel, and to which power, if desired, can be applied to re- Volve the roll G. K isa circular guide surrounding the mandrel andco-operating with it to bring the strip into tubular form; L, 'a tube for feeding a supply of oil or other combustible fiuidjfroniany suitable reservoir to the edgeof the heated strip of metal; M, a trough or rest for supporting the finished. pipe as it feeds-off from the mandrel and L and L are tubes or pipes for applying a jet orstream of combustible material to the edges of the winding strip as they are beingoverlapped'.

The operation of the machine, in combination with the furnace, will readily be understood upon an inspection of the drawings. The end of the strip of metal to be wrought, after passing through the furnace, where it is" brought to a welding-heat, is entered between the upper side of the mandrel or formerblock, which is on a level with thev mouth of the furnace, and the lip of the circular guide K. This brings one edge of the strip within the grasp of the two seaming-rolls, which then continue to draw the blank through j the furnace and cause it to wind up spirally. Asthe work progresses the otheredge of the strip is carried around an entire turn and thus brought up under the first edge, which overlaps it to an extent determined by the particular adjustment of the machine, and then both edges continue to pass between the seamingrolls, being thereby subjected to a powerful pressure suflicient to forcethem into welding" It will be seen that the edgeof-the strip which comes under the other in the winding has the longer path to travel after leaving the the metal be such that such edge i's'liableto cool' down too much for welding, the requisite furnace and before the union is. effected. If-

temperature is preserved bythe use of a pipe,

L, conveyinga hydrocarbon oil or other inflammable'fluid to a point near to such edge andintermediate between thefurnaceand thepoint of welding. The heat produced by, the flame at the extremity of suchpipe impingingupon the edge of the strip'will .suffice to'keep it; up to a welding-temperature.

WVith many fluids the proximity of the heated metal to the discharge-orifice of the pipe will be sufficient to inflame them as they issue therefrom. A similar appliance is used,when found necessary, in connection with the other side of the strip. The better to maintain the heat in the under-lapping edge of the strip, the former-block is cut away or reduced in size, so that such edge of the strip will not come in contact with metal in its passage over and around the block, This construction is shown in Fig. 6, in which the former-block is shown as cut away at N, and the strip is represented by dotted lines.

For manipulating the heated strip for the purpose of drawing the forward end from the furnace and entering it between the rolls, a clutch or pair of tongs, O, is used. These are introduced througlnthe mouth in the front of the furnace and engaged with one side of the strip, as shown inFig. 2. As soon as the forward end of the strip is grasped by the rolls the entire strip'will be drawn forward by the rolls as they continue to revolve. To aid the seaming-rolls in moving the strip through the machine a special pair of rolls is used, arranged in advance of the seaming-rolls, and prefeia bly to bear upon the middle of the upper and lower sides of the strip.- Such rolls are shown at P in Figs. 2, 4, and 10.

To accommodate the seaming-rolls to any inequalities in the metal (and these will occur, particularly where the ends of short strips have been united to make up a longstrip) the upper roll is mounted in yielding bearings. The outer bearing, Q, of the shaft of this roll is in the form of a sleeve, and is held in the standard R by two horizontal pivots, r r, which mode of mounting permits the bearing, and consequently the shaft, to oscillate within the necessary limits in a vertical plane, rising and falling on these pivots a center of motion. The inner bearing, S, of this shaft is pivoted in a yoke, T, from which a spindle projects upward in suitable bearings, and is acted up on by a powerful spring, U, which constantly tends to force it downward. This mode of mounting the roller shaft secures sufficient flexibility to compensate for any inequalities in the work passing between the rolls, and at the same time provides for the requisite pressure of the rolls upon the metal.

The mode of constructing the inner roll, G, and the stud H, on which it is mounted, is specially illustrated in Figs.- 7 and S. The central opening in the roll is conical, and somewhat larger than the end of the stud or pin which projects beyond the face of the mandrel. The upper face of this projecting end of the stud is tapered inwardly, to correspond with the taper ot' the conical hole of the roll G. The under face of the stud may be left straight. The effect of this construction will be to give the roll. freedom of play, not withstanding the intense heat to which it is sub jected, and also to cause it alwa to hug down against the adjacent face ofthe mandrel, which,

for such purpose, is formed in a plane perpeir dicular to the stud. It will also be seen, on examining Figs. 1 and 6, that the stud H,which carries the inner seamingroll, lies at right angles to the path along which the blank travels, at the point where the rolls act upon it.

By providing the roll (t with a cap, V, and also making suitable channels in the mandrel or in the pin H, a flow of water or oil, either alone or mixed'with plumbago, can be secured into and out of the central space in the roll, and thus the roll be prevented from oven heating.

The machine is readily adjusted to the manufacture of differentsizcs of tubing, as also to tubing made from strips of different widths. To'this end the mandrel or former-block, as also the circular guide, is made detachable, which permits others of different size and shape to be substituted; and the rest M is made correspondingly adjustable in a vertical di rectiou, by means of the Y-shaped standards which support it, so as to accommodate it to the different sizes of pipe produced; The rest .M and the guide-standard Z are mounted upon a plate, X, whiclris made capable of swinging around a pivot, f, placed immediately below the seaming-rolls, and which can be secured in any desired position by means of a setscrew working in the circular slot 11'. By adjusting the position of this plate X the extent of lap can be regulated as may be found desirable, the size of the pipe. or the width of the strip remaining the same.

Instead of passing the flat strip directly through the fire of the furnace, as indicated in Figs. l and 2, it may, under some circunr stances and for some purposes, be found use ful to wind it up in a coil before heating. and to secure such coilin a shell or flask of plumbago or other suitable refractory material. This flask is then placed in a furnace, and when the coil of metal has become sutlicientlyhcated the flask and its contents are removed from the furnace and placednear the mandrel and seaming-rolls, when the strip can be drawn from the flask and formed up into spiral lubing in the same way as above described. Such a flask as is here described is shown in Fig. 9, Fig. 10 being a sectional view of it, showing also the mandrel and rolls. Such shell or flask. when used, constitutes, in effect, a secondary furnace.

It should be remarked that in coiling the blank to be heated in the flask its surfaces. except at the edges, may be coated with limewash or other equivalent material, to prevent them from adhering when brought to a welding-heat.

instead of heating the strip to a weldingheat in a furnace or in a shell or flask, as above described, before it is wound spirally into tubular form, the strip is heated in any desired manner to less than a weldingheat; or, if not too thick, it is wound cold, and by the application of combustible fluids directed in a state of ignition upon the edges thereof, just before or as they overlap to form the seamor 1 joint, they may be brought-up to the desired temperature to be welded in. the same way and by the use of the same devices above described. 5 This methOd iS'especially applicable tothe use of strips of tinned plate-that is, iron covered with tin'-i"n which the tin will be easily melted, and the seam can be formed by soldering the edges together. The construction for applying the combustible fluids for this. purpose is shown in Fig. 2, in which L and L represent two tubes or pipes, one of which may be used to supply oil or any other combustible fluid and the otherto. carry a jet of air, which, by

r5 contact with the stream of oil near the meeting edges of the strip, will produce the re-. quired heat,.wh ich can be regulated by the, force of the air-jet. 'Thisairjet of course can" be made to carry any required "flux, or solder- ,ing or brazing material. 1

Instead of using oil or other similar fluid with the air-jet, two gases-dike oxygen and hydrogen-n1ay be employed, each conveyed to the desired point near the meeting'e'dges of the strip in separate tubes or pipes and then brought together. In case the stripis not heated hot enough to---fire the co1nbustible fluids or gases, a small continuousv flame is kept burning near and 'under the pointof junc- 0 tion of the tubes. i

What is claimed as new is- 1. In amachine for makingspirally jointed metal pipe, the combination of a mandrel or former-block and an internally-acting seaming-roll arranged upon the end of such man- 5 drel and loosely mounted upon a conical axis at right angles to the line of movement of the metal strip at the point where the roll acts upon the metal.

2. The combination, in a pipe-forming mar 0.

chine, of a seaming 1-011 constructed with a conical central opening,.and a pin or stud for supporting the 8 311 116, tapered upon one of its sides to fit the wallof the conical opening of the roll, substantially as and for the purpose described. e

- 3. In a spiral-pipe forming and Welding machine, a mandrel or former-block cut away or reduced throughout a portion of its extent, substantiallyas shown and described, so as topermit one edge ot the heated blank, as it comes from the furnace, to pass over the mandrelwithout-contact with it, for the'purpose set forth.

The swinging plate X, provided wit-11 the cylindrical guide K for adjusting the mandrel to positions suited to different sizes of pipe and dififerent widths of strips, and for regulating the lap.

.RoBf 3H. DUNCAN, I 

